Investigation on aluminum alloys as winding materials for alternators in wind turbines

Abstract

The use of aluminum (Al) alloy substances is analyzed in this paper in order to obtain a lighter and less costly winding design without dimensional changes in electrical machines. The determination of aluminum alloy winding material, which has an electrical conductivity close to that of copper (Cu) but has a lower density, is the basis of this study. In this context, various aluminum alloy substances have been investigated. Windings with these aluminum alloy materials for a 300 kVA synchronous alternator have been modeled with the Ansys Maxwell 2D software program. The performances of tempered and annealed alloy windings have been analyzed with respect to that of a copper winding. The analysis results show that the aluminum winding losses are close to copper winding losses under nominal operating current values. Among the aluminum alloy winding models, aluminum 1350 and aluminum 2041 have the closest loss values. On the other hand, there is very little difference between aluminum alloy windings in terms of winding weight, while the weight of the aluminum winding is 70% lower compared with that of the copper winding. It is suggested to wind turbine manufacturers that windings be formed with the aluminum 1350 and aluminum 2041 series to provide performance comparable with that of copper windings.

Comparison of Aluminum and Copper Winding Materials for Switched Reluctance Machines with Finite Element Analysis

“…The most important reason for this is that Al materials have good conductivity and are abundant and cheap around the world (Hergul et al, 2020). In addition, the cost of an Al conductor of the same resistance and length is significantly lower than the cost of a Cu conductor.…”

The potential of industry 4.0 for renewable energy and materials development – The case of multinational energy companies

“… [ 35 , 36 , [47] , [48] , [49] ] Wind Turbines ALUMINUM Most of a wind turbine's components, especially the nacelle, where wind energy is converted to electricity, are made of aluminum. [ 29 , [50] , [51] , [52] , [53] ] RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS (neodymium) Rare-earth elements make some of the planet's strongest and most effective magnets, allowing wind turbines to use lighter, more compact generators. [ [54] , [55] , [56] , [57] ] Batteries COBALT Cobalt is most commonly used in rechargeable battery electrodes on a global scale.…”

Performance analysis of aluminium wound double fed induction generator for cost-efficient wind energy conversion systems

“…In addition, the aluminium winding structure was analysed in detail in terms of various aluminium alloys, and a comparison was made. The comparison results showed that the 1350, 2041, and 2017 types of aluminium alloys exhibited better efficiency performance than the conventional materials used in electrical machines [18].…”

“…In the context of wind energy conversion systems, limited studies have been conducted on the materials used in generator windings. In [17] and [18], a wound-rotor synchronous machine (WRSM) with a power capacity of 300 kVA was designed with aluminium windings, and performance analysis was performed. By only changing the winding conductor material, the weight was reduced by nearly 12% compared to the traditional copper wound WRSM.…”